Coat foundation and method of making same



Dec. 20, 193-8. J. M. SANDONE COAT FOUNDATION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed Aug. 3, 1936 To.s ephMandorze Patented Dec. 20, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIQ COAT FOUNDATION AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Application August 3,

Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in the tailoring art and more particularly concerns the construction of garment foundations.-

In tailored garmentssuch assuit coats, the

5 shoulder foundation must be correctly dimensioned and shaped in order to fit properly, with respect to both the swing of the shoulder itself and the relation and effect of this part upon subjoined areas such as the collar. If the shoulder foundation places a strain upon the collar, the latter will draw away from the neck of the wearer. Unless the foundation fabric is permanently retained in correct shape without tension, uneven shrinkage or twisting strains, the garment when in use will show the effects of poor construction. Much skill has been required in the laborious, fairly complex processes heretofore employed in preparing shoulder foundations.

Such processes have been time consuming, awkward and often unsatisfactory, requiring a combination of pulling, stretching, shrinking and forcing of material, insertionof, piecesand elaborate reinforcements and paddings.

The primary object of the present invention is to provide improvements in constructing garment foundations characterized by simplifications in practice, improved structure, fabric economies, and the assurance of uniformly satisfactory results despite wide variability in the materials employed.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved method of and means for constructing the shoulder foundation of a garment wherein the novel formation of the shoulder piece and the assembly thereof with the front piece effectually produces the necessary shape conformable tothe shoulder contours.

More specifically stated, it is an object to provide improvements in constructing shoulder 40 foundations according to which the front piece is united with a novel shoulder piece having a marginal portion which partially overlaps the shoulder margin of the front piece in the fiat assembly of the pieces, and which in the final assembly of the pieces causes the shoulder piece to assume a permanently buckled condition, producing the shoulder fullness or concavity conformable to the contour and swing of the shoul der.

: Another object resides'in the provision of an improved pattern and the method of laying out the front and shoulder pieces of the foundation to avoid waste and productive of a saving of fabric as compared with prior practice. A further object of the invention is to provide 1936, Serial N0. 93,973

improved reinforcement for the garment foundation in which separate fabric parts of the assembly are coacti-vely related effectively to absorb wearing strain and to avoid uneven shrinkage or stretching. 5

Other objects and advantages will become apparent from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary front elevational 10 view of a gentlemans coat with parts broken away or in broken outline to reveal the improved foundation.

Fig. 2 is a plan view, partially schematic, showing the pattern layout of the foundation pieces.

Fig. 3 isa fragmentary plan view of the foundation.

Figs. 4 and 5 are outer and inner views, respectively, of the foundation reinforcement.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I have shown in the drawing and will herein describe in detail, the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

According to the present invention, the shoulder foundation piece is shaped asymmetrically and has the armhole portion thereof of substantially greater width than the collar portion while the front-piece margin thereof is formed at least in part on a sharper bias than the shoulder margin of the front piece which it is to be associated therewith. In assembling the pieces, the wider portion of the shoulder piece is buckled along the shoulder line to bring the coactive margins of the pieces into abutment. After the pieces have been stitched together, the hump or fullness created by the buckled condition of the shoulder piece will be maintained permanently and provides the concavity for receiving the shoulder. To prevent stretching and thereby disalinement of the parts the foundation is reinforced by means preferably underlying the shoulder piece and also a portion of the front piece in the region of the chest bulge.

Referring more particularly to the exemplary 60 form of the invention shown in the drawing, there is provided a foundation lining including a front piece l0 having a separably formed side portion H which embodies an armhole curve l2 and which is marginally dimensioned to provide chest depression cut-outs l3 and Hi. When the arm side portion H is secured to the remainder of the front piece as by means of a line of stitching l5 (Fig. 3), the front piece provides a slight chest bulge to receive snugly the body of the wearer.

At the end which is uppermost in use, the front piece 10 has a biased collar margin [1; and angularly related to this is a biased shoulder margin l8 which has its edge cut on a generally peaked line wherein a short portion adjacent to the collar margin is shaped to lie substantially parallel with the wearers shoulder ridge and the remaining portion of the edge to the armhole end thereof will run generally diagonally in a downward direction substantially to follow the depression between the chest and the shoulder of the wearer. Thus, the margin l8 is of nonuniform outline providing a gently biased short portion I3 adjacent the collar margin I1 and a more sharply biased major portion l8 The invention contemplates the provision of an improved shoulder piece If) in which the shoulder hump or fullness is formed without slitting the shoulder piece to provide inserts and without stretching, shrinking or laborious ironing operations. To this end the shoulder piece is of asymmetric formation having a short collar margin 20, relatively long back and armhole margins 2i and 22, respectively, and a front margin 23 which, nearest the collar margin, is complementary to the portion I8 of the front piece shoulder margin and throughout the remainder of its length is cut on a greater bias than the shoulder margin portion I8 The resulting outline is such that the shoulder piece may be considered as providing adjoining narrow and wide areas.

When the front and shoulder pieces are assembled upon a flat surface with the short complementary marginal portions thereof adjoining. a segmental part 23 of the wider area of the shoulder piece will tend to overlap the major upper edge portion l8 of the front piece to a progressively increasing extent as indicated in 'broken outline in Fig. 3, the coactive edges intersecting at a point A at substantially the inner terminus of the short complementary portions thereof. To effect edgewise abutment between the marginal portion I8 and the overlapping portion 23 the latter is forced edgewise toward the back margin 2| of the shoulder piece, causing the wide area to buckle. The abutting edges are then permanently united as by means of a line of stitching 24, and the buckled part provides a permanent hump 25 which is of flaring contour commencing at substantially the point A and increase in width and depth on a median line extending as a substantially straight continuation of the line of the abutment joint between the short complementary portions of the united pieces. The wide end of the hump terminates at the armhole margin 22, the latter assuming a substantially arcuate or bell-mouth shape for receiving a sleeve of the garment. By shifting the intersection point A either way along the joint, the exact position being predetermined, of course, by the bias of the margin 23, the inner end of the bulge 25 may be caused to break variably as desired. It will thus be apparent that after the front and shoulder pieces of the foundation have been assembled they will be shaped to receive the shoulder and chest contours of the body.

Substantial saving of foundation lining fabric may be effected by cutting the front and shoulder laid out with its armhole margin 22 on the edge of the canvas and with its subsequently coactive front margin adjacent to the shoulder margin of the front piece, but in reverse order. When thus laid out, at least a part of the shoulder piece will fall upon the armhole cutout of the front piece which has heretofore been discarded as waste. In this manner, a substantial strip of canvas 29 is saved as compared with prior methods. In

practice this economy has been found to amount to about three'quarters of an inch for each garment. The area of the strip 29 will, of course, be twice that indicated in Fig.2, since the foundations for both the left and the right are ordinarily cut from a single folded piece of fabric.

Generally, the canvas blank 28 is of a relatively pliable material which may be subject to shrinkage or stretching. The foundation may therefore be reinforced with a fabric having the quality of resisting the various distorting forces. For this purpose hair cloth or the like may be used in which the strands therein running at least in one direction are highly resistant to stretching'or shrinking and relatively resistant to folding. In the present instance the reinforcement includes a front part 30 dimensioned to underlie the chest portion of the front piece l6 and having the hair strands therein preferably disposed transversely across the chest bulge. The front reinforcement 30 may have a stitched chest bulge joint 3! for the same purpose as the aforementioned stitched joint l5.

Secured to the front reinforcement 30 is a shoulder reinforcement 32 which is preferably of the same dimensions and shape as the shoulder piece 19 and-has a similar shoulder hump 33. The reinforcement may be incorporated in the foundation by means of stitching 34. The hair strands in the shoulder reinforcement 32 are disposed substantially along the line of the hump 33. Since the hair strands are resistant to folding, the swing of the hump may in practice be determined by the angle of the hair strands relative to the intermediate point A. Thus, where a rearward swing is desired, the shoulder piece may be cut with the hair strands on an angle as shown, for example, at 33*. Similarly where the hair strands are angularly disposed forwardly as shown at 33 the swing of the hump will correspondingly extend forwardly. In any event the hair strands are located to extend in substantially the same direction as or parallel with the median line of the shoulder-receiving concavity of the hump to aid in preserving the non-shifting character. of the concavity.

Additional reinforcement may be provided in those areas which in use are subject to most severe strain. One such area is adjacent the collar margin of the foundation. Therefore, a piece of hair cloth or the like 35, herein of L- shape, may be secured in overlapping relation to the collar marginal portions of the principal front and shoulder reinforcements 30 and 32, and with the resistant strands therein running across the resistant strands of the latter.

The reinforcing piece 35 serves also to maintain the break point A against possible shifting or other disruption after the foundation is subj ected to the numerous strains arising during use of the garment. Accordingly the margin of the piece nearest the point A, identified by the numeral 35 is placed to intersect the shoulder joint substantially coincident with said point. To accommodate variable disposition of the point A, the piece 35 may be variably formed. as to width.

To prevent distortion of the chest bulge, a reinforcing strip 36 having the resistant strands therein extending at substantially right angles to the like strands in the front reinforcement may be secured in underlying relation to the bulge, herein longitudinally of the joint 3|.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a method of making an underlying foundation construction to control accurately and permanently the shape of the shoulder section of the outer fabric of a tailored coat, the steps of cutting a chest foundation piece with collar and armhole margins and an upper edge extending between said margins on a generally peaked line wherein a short portion adjacent to said collar margin is shaped to lie substantially parallel with the wearers shoulder ridge and the remaining portion of the edge to the armhole end thereof will run generally diagonally downwardly substantially to follow the line of the depression between the wearers chest and shoulder, cutting a shoulder foundation piece with a forward edge shaped coextensively complementary to the short portion of said upper edge so as to permit abutment joinder with the latter without distortion of either piece, shaping the remainder of such forward edge to extend downwardly more sharply than the corresponding portion of the upper edge so as to cause a tendency of the edges in assembly to intersect at the inner terminus of the short complementary portions to effect an overlap of the pieces to a progressively increasing extent from the point of intersection to the armhole ends of the edges, .and joining the edges permanently in abutting relation throughout their lengths with the overlapping areas of the pieces forced apart by distortion of said shoulder piece only beyond said point of intersection so as to provide a non-shifting and positive substantially bell-shaped shoulder-receiving concavity beginning at said point of intersection and progressively increasing in width and depth on a median line extending as a substantially straight continuation of the line of the abutment joint between said short complementary portions of the edges.

2. A method of making a foundation construction to underlie the outer fabric of a tailored coat to control the shape of the shoulder section thereof accurately and permanently as set forth in claim 1, and in which said shoulder piece is cut from haircloth having the hairstrands thereof carefully located to extend parallel with the median line of the shoulder-receiving concavity to aid in preserving the non-shifting character of the concavity.

3. In combination in a foundation construction to underlie and control accurately and permanently the shape of the shoulder section of the outer fabric of a tailored coat, a chest foundation piece having collar and armhole margins respectively on opposite sides, a generally peaked upper edge on said piece between said margins, a short portion of such edge adjacent to the collar margin being substantially parallel with the wearers shoulder ridge and the remaining greater portion of the edge to the armhole end thereof running diagonally downwardly substantially to follow the line of the depression between the Wearers chest and shoulder, a shoulder foundation piece having a forward edge of complementary shape to said short portion of said upper edge for substantially the same distance from the collar end thereof so as to permit abutment joinder with the latter without distorting either piece, the remainder of the forward edge of said shoulder piece being on an angle to extend downwardly more sharply than the corresponding portion of said upper edge so that the edges tend to intersect to cause overlapping of the pieces to a progressively increasing extent from the point of intersection to the armhole ends of said edges, and means for joining said edges throughout their lengths permanently in abutting relation to hold said pieces against said overlapping and to place the shoulder piece under transverse buckling pressure only beyond said point of intersection whereby to form a permanent shoulderreceiving concavity of substantially bell-shape having the apex thereof at said point of intersection and extending on a median line which forms a substantially straight continuation of the line of the abutment joint between the short complementary edge portions of the edges, the mouth of said bell-shaped shoulder-receiving concavity opening at the shoulder margin of said shoulder piece.

4. In combination in a foundation construction to underlie and control accurately and permanently the shape of the shoulder section of the outer fabric of a tailored coat as set forth in claim 3, wherein said second piece contains hairstrands located to extend in substantially the same direction as said median line of said concavity to aid in preserving said concavity in a non-shifting position relative to the joint formed by said edges.

5. In combination in a foundation construction to underlie and control accurately and permanently the shape of the shoulder section of the outer fabric of a tailored coat as set forth in claim 3, including in addition a reenforcing piece of haircloth secured across the joint formed by said complementary edge portions and dimensioned to have one edge adjacent to said point of intersection and the other edge adjacent to the collar end of the joint, the hairstrands of said reenforcing piece extending across said joint.

JOSEPH M. SANDONE. 

